Testimony has concluded in the five-week fraud trial of Washington State Auditor Troy Kelley on April 27, Wednesday. The prosecutors calling it a plain case of fraud and cover-up while the defense team describes it as a disaster.
According to The Olympian, U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton stated that closing arguments will begin on Wednesday following jury instructions. Each corresponding side has 2 hours to present their arguments. The case boils down to a contract dispute that never should have been prosecuted criminally. Kelley's attorneys have argued while he did some refund on homeowners who complained.
One of Kelley's attorneys, Angelo Calfo sought to dismantle the government's case point-by-point in his closing argument. Calfo suggests that because of Kelley's high political profile, investigators set out from the beginning to win a conviction, not to find the truth and as a result, ignored evidence of his client's innocence, The Big Story reports.
The most serious charge against Kelley is money laundering which carries a maximum up to 20 years in prison. The state auditor would be expected to face much less prison duration than that if he's convicted.
Moreover, all the charges stemmed from Kelley's operation of a mortage services company at the height of the real estate bubble a decade ago. Prosecutors stated that Kelley illegally retained millions in fees from homeowners and moved the proceeds among various accounts to hide the money.The defense says the money was for the state auditor to keep and that the case boils down to a contract dispute rather than a criminal matter, Daily Record News has learned.
Kelley, 51, is the first Washington State official indicted in 35 years stands accused of illegally pocketing $3 million in fees prosecutors say he should have refunded to homeowners when he ran a real-estate services business called Post Closing Department during the height of the housing boom before he was elected state auditor. He is also lawyer, who has taught tax law subjects, facing15 counts all in all. This includes money laundering and tax evasion.
